While calm seems to have been restored in Bekkersdal, it is quite evident that the Westonaria Local Municipality’s woes are far from over as workers belonging to the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) took to the streets on 7 March to air their dissatisfaction with the Westonarias Local Municiplaity and hand over a memorandum of grievances to the municipality.
According to Westonaria Samwu Shop Stewart Dumisani Chiya, the union has engaged with the municipality on numerous occasions with regards to their problems and talks aimed at finding solutions have come to nothing.
“We have engaged with the municipality on numerous occasions but our attempts were met with nothing but arrogance from the municipal manager,” says Chiya.
“This left us with no choice but to take to the streets and display our dissatisfaction.
“We want them to know that we are fed up with being taken advantage of.”
Among the demands listed on the memorandum, is a call for the immediate suspension of the municipal Manager, Thabo Ndlovu, the immediate suspension of all service delivery related contracts with non-municipal companies, and the immediate suspension of non-performing or unqualified heads of department and managers.
Samwu also demands that all workers receive housing subsidies, and that ‘illegal deductions’ from salaries allegedly made by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) be paid back to workers.
Other demands include stand by, shift and risk allowances for workers, functional tools of trade, the scrapping of unroadworthy municipal vehicles, proper training and skills development, and that the CFO stop bullying, disrespectful behavious and union bashing.
They have also asked for the suspension of the Westonaria Public Safety Manager.
The memorandum was handed over to an official from the municipality and a response is expected within seven working days.
According to Chiya, failure to comply will result in further protest action by the union.
